How can I do affiliate marketing in the right way? If you start off badly you can never recover so make sure you do this
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Table of contents
- Creating an affiliate plan that works for the long haul
- What are the best methods of affiliate marketing
- Work with a great affiliate income mix
- What are the best affiliate companies?
- Start your marketing with a guaranteed entry
- Take your marketing to a local level
- Maximise your effort for the best return
- Why Amazon is no longer the first choice
- How can I do affiliate marketing in the right way?
- Customer service is important
- Why stop at one affiliate partner
- Conclusion
Creating an affiliate plan that works for the long haul
Without a plan, you can never know where you are going or where you intend to end up.
- Determine an income plan. How much do you want to make out of this episode?
a.What is an expected income that would satisfy you?
b.Pick an income amount that would really excite you.
c. Determine how many hours a day you will commit to your goals
Your planning is not all about money but it is a return for your effort and an essential part of your future.
2. Choose a niche to apply your attention to and that you will enjoy doing. The closer you
stay to a chosen subject the greater the chance of success.
3. Do some basic training before you start so that you understand what you need to do.
Some things can not be undone so putting a template together will cover many of these
issues. Where to start your post
What are the best methods of affiliate marketing
First of all your job is to sell interested people an idea. Then transport them to a sales site to complete the transaction.
You can use a single channel or preferably a multi-channel marketing approach. This can be achieved with a Mobile phone, a good internet connection, or even just talking to people and giving them access codes.
Some of the ways are;
- Websites and Funnels
- Blogging
- Social Media. Any or all of the many
- Email marketing
- Networking
- Paid advertising. ( Only when you are properly trained)
Therefore there are plenty of choices and ample opportunity for anyone to participate.
Work with a great affiliate income mix
Yes, there is more than one way to get paid for your affiliate sales and one may suit you better than the others.
Outright sale and fixed percentage return.
This is a common approach and basically, you get paid a percentage of each sale.
The percentage may be fixed or on a sliding scale as your sales increase.
Recurring income.
When the consumer pays on a payment plan over a period of time you get paid your percentage on each payment. To start this may seem like a lot less however a long-term contract will give you greater rewards.
This method also allows you to build a regular recurring payment channel. One client may pay $20 a month but 100 clients under your name will be $2000 a month.
Awards and incentives
Under some products, competitions will be carried on for the top performers to earn great bonuses. These may be either cash or prices however they can add up to a very good value.
One company pays for a fully paid week, including airfares, in Las Vegas for just achieving a certain level of sales.
Advertising income
Yes, people will pay you to run advertising on your web material. This can be a substantial return but you need to develop a high level of customer attraction first.
What are the best affiliate companies?
There are affiliate opportunities in every possible niche you can dream of. But it is only reasonable to recommend products that you have tried or are fully conversant with. This is not Nevs used car lot, it is ethical marketing based on experience and expertise to help others.
When you draw your product list then ask to be an affiliate for them and explain how you will market the products, plus, the volume of sales you anticipate.
Remember you need to pitch your proposal. They may get many inquiries for partners and only select the best for their product.
Some companies will use an Affiliate management group. These are set up to manage the marketing operation so you need to jump two hurdles to get entry. A benefit is that once proven in one product the flow-on to others will be easier as you carry a track record of success.
How can I do affiliate marketing in the right way? Get an entry card.
Can you have more than one affiliate partner your question answered
Start your marketing with a guaranteed entry
It is pretty dismal being dismissed for an affiliate opportunity. This is particularly so when the product is one that you dearly want but your entry pitch lacked substance. Probably because of a lack of experience and proven results.
Some companies are built on the affiliate model and do little or any front-end marketing. These include web hosting, data storage, Page building as examples. You will be accepted straight away and just need a few lucky breaks to be up and going.
I started ( and remain) at Wealthy Affiliate because this total affiliate business is their way of life. They have everything you want including training, domains, hosting, income, and entry to several hundred other affiliate opportunities. Your try before you buy entry is free and no credit card information is required. With over a million members this is a great starting place.
Take your marketing to a local level
This is an extension of AM that just may apply to some of you. Local industries are always looking for new business, it may be a Restaurant, Hardware chain, or Motor mechanic all with a common need for more customers. Your marketing with a Sale Code will generate new business and the discount code will identify they came from you. You get paid a commission.
Maximise your effort for the best return
There is a need for a balance between the number of sales and the return achieved.
Amazon started as a bookseller however you need to sell a lot of books to earn a reasonable commission. The current Amazon percentage is about 4.5% of the book value. So a $30 product would earn you $1.45 in earnings. Hardly a King's ransom. However, games will return you 20% so a better value. More on Amazon and why not to go there below.
It is often as easy to sell a medium-priced product with a good margin as it is a low-priced product that earns the minimum.
Selling one Amazon game might earn you $60 but to get the same selling 40 books is much harder.
Don't forget the lifetime value multiplier. If you got paid a Hundred dollars upfront but could have $20 a month for a lifetime which is better. However, you need to value dropouts when doing the sums.
How can I do affiliate marketing in the right way? Without Amazon
Why Amazon is no longer the first choice
Amazon was the first large mainstream affiliate company. They built the company on affiliate revenue but as it grew they took over more of the front-end sales. To achieve this they dropped the commission rates to eliminate a large volunteer workforce. rates got so low that they recently had to bring some back up to a marginal opportunity. For example, TV and electrical appliances are now just 4%.
The rules are strict and they will terminate you for lack of sales.
Unfortunately Walmart and the Chinese juggernaut Alibaba dance to the same tune.
The training school is ok and they do still offer a good easy start but it is doubtful long term result.
How can I do affiliate marketing in the right way?
You want to guarantee that you have the best chance of success. Start your lessons
You need to understand the business and the rules before you start.
A written plan should show a realistic return on the input required.
Chose your partners with a view to a long-term association
Understanding keywords lead to sales
Adopt a multi-channel marketing approach to ensure the best coverage.
This is a career long-term opportunity and not a get-rich-quick scheme and of course, you may make little or no money as the results are up to you.
Customer service is important
This is a two-pronged statement, one is about you and the other about your customers.
Customer support is necessary.
Your affiliate partners must provide a high level of support and preferably on a 24-hour basis. Things go wrong at the worst of times and a quick fix is necessary.
After-sales support
This is one of the many benefits of Affiliate marketing. Sales support is done by them and there is no need for you to get your hands dirty.
Your company supplies the product and supports the sale leaving you free to continue your marketing efforts.
How can I do affiliate marketing in the right way? Multiply your chances.
Why stop at one affiliate partner
This is one of the greatest benefits of affiliate marketing. You may achieve multiple streams of income from a single source of work.
You can have too few affiliate partners but also too many because servicing too many masters weakens the overall effect. Your partners need not be similar they may well be complementary to each other. On my pages, you may find a premium web host and a cheap one as well. Then a Keyword tool and AI writer and an email generator. They all serve a different purposes but have the same market.
Add to that advertising popup where you are paid by the click and the generation of income is multiplied many times.
Conclusion
This is just one of the many opportunities that exist in internet marketing. It does offer a very low-cost entry to building a substantial income and that has been achieved by many before you.
There are no Stock costs, billing fees, debtors, customer service, or any of the other requirements of a small business yet it is possible to grow to any size. There are no limits or constraints imposed upon you and your growth is determined by the input.
However, it will not be a quick fix. It will take time and consistent production to grow as you want it to.
Finally; Enjoy the ride.